PINDER: Is hockey still Canada's game?

The recent Four Nations Face-Off hockey tournament presented great drama, and for Canadians a burst of pride at a difficult time, particularly vis-a-vis the USA. There are several interesting takeaways.First, the condemnation of Hockey Canada and its representatives, after the repeat poor performance of Canada at the World Junior Tournament, led many to question: Is hockey still our game? Returning to that issue later, the Four Nations best on best competition was overdue and outstanding. In the past, these pages have saluted the Bettman and Daly duo as giants of major league sports. After a variety of ho-hum iterations of the All Star Game, this year the February break featured the best players from Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland. It was hockey at its best, well timed and organized and certainly augmented the profile of professional hockey. And a great outcome for Canadians.It was cosponsored by the NHL and NHLPA, an owner/player collaboration wanted by fans and all parties, and great for building the game. This is a positive evolution from the criminality of the Eagleson reign, and the confrontational and ultimately destructive approach of Goodenow. This cooperation between owner/management and labour/player is an example Canada badly needs elsewhere.The Canadian management team was led by Doug Armstrong, currently the 60-year-old President of Hockey Operations for the Saint Louis Blues. “Army”, the son of legendary referee Neil Armstrong, began his career in management with the Minnesota North Stars before the franchise relocated to Dallas. Advancing up the hockey ladder, Army is a knowledgeable and respected winner of the Stanley Cup in St Louis in 2019. Many of the player decisions for national teams are obvious, but at the margin are often as difficult as they are important. This year Canada, currently in a cycle of younger and promising goaltenders, enjoys no Carey Price or equivalent. One of the biggest challenges for the brass was the selection of the three goaltenders.Always a critical position in these high profile tournaments and playoffs, goaltending was particularly sensitive with the knowledge that the US boasts the best goaltender in hockey, Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. We all know in tight championship games, it is often the best goaltending that wins.Army and the group chose two promising young goalies and veteran Jordan Binnington, from the Blues. Some early questionable goals by him in the first two games would have given many coaches and managers pause. In the 2019 Stanley Cup finals between the Blues and the Boston Bruins, it was the same Binnington, in the same building, in the same city, in the seventh game, who provided the Blues with a clutch Stanley Cup winning performance. Army, his fellow managers, and the coaching team knew Binnington’s capabilities; indeed, he was ultimately the difference as the Americans had many winning chances denied by him late in the game and early in overtime. As Connor McDavid, after scoring the winning goal modestly (and accurately) admitted, it was his worst game of the tournament, and the accolades should go to Binnington. A not-so-obvious choice during a period of limited goaltending depth, and the confidence and fortitude to keep him in the net, rewarded everyone. Kudos to the management and coaching group for their wisdom, both in selecting Binnington and staying with him into the final game.Canadians expect our international teams to win. The world junior was disappointing even if some of the best Canadian players still of junior age were already in the NHL, and unavailable. Notwithstanding, Canadians need to accept the obvious fact that Americans have become our equals in hockey and are likely destined to even higher stature with more than eight times the population. How so you ask?Over the years Canada has lost a significant competitive advantage. Previous generations of kids learned to play and love the game outdoors — something not possible in the US other than border states with winter weather. Now most young players around the world, including Canadians, play indoors equalizing the “playing field” (or available ice.)The Four Nations also witnessed a transition from Sidney Crosby, in his 20th season as an outstanding player (also exemplifying all that is good about hockey,) to Connor McDavid. It is entirely appropriate and serendipitous that McDavid scored the winning goal, not unlike like Crosby’s “golden goal,” also in overtime against the Americans, at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.These outstanding players are the paradigm on and off the ice — Crosby to McDavid suggests the hockey world generally, and specifically in Canada, is still in good hands. Yet Canadians might be wise to become more accepting of inevitable mixed international outcomes of the level playing field. On the other hand, it also may be that Canada's hockey culture of high expectations is the only remaining component of our long standing competitive advantage.Hockey will always be our game, even as we share it with great athletes and rabid fans in other countries.

PINDER: Is hockey still Canada's game?

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